


Flawed Design - Levi x Reader

by TopazTalon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Comedy, Drama, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-05 13:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20489492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopazTalon/pseuds/TopazTalon
Summary: Growing up alone in the underground world leaves it's scars. Learning to fend for yourself is harder then it looks. However, you've managed to overcome the impact. As well as found a reason to keep fighting. All that's needed to be done now is for your scars to heal. But how can they heal when you're constantly under pressure and fighting for your life?(May contain spoilers, mostly for the OVA No Regrets)





	1. Thug Life

  
I sighed as I snuck through the narrow walls of the underground city, avoiding as many people as I could. Being a young girl in this dump isn't a good thing. The men around here, they're always looking for girls like me to get there hands on. I'm honestly surprised that I've managed to keep myself pure for this long.

I frowned, remembering the time when I just narrowly escaped from getting sexually assaulted by a fat old man. If it wasn't for Shawn.... I'd would of been screwed... Literally.

Shawn was my friend, him being the same age as me, he's been a great help with stealing food as well as helping me deal with other criminals such as myself. I never thought I'd ever call myself that... A criminal, how sad.  
  
I bit back a sigh, quickly making my way out of the small and poorly treated village and taking a few turns down some more narrow tunnels. I smiled as I saw Shawn sitting against the wall of the dead end. This was our hide out. It was hard to get to, due to the tunnels being so narrow, it was an easy hiding place. But it did it's job.  
  
"Hey, Shawn! Did you manage to grab the food?" I asked.  
  
Shawn looked up and me and shrugged, holding a bag out to me. "Yeah. Did you manage to get new clothes?" Shawn muttered.  
  
I blinked and huffed placing my hands on my hips. "Obviously, are you blind?" I muttered, pointing to the new clothes I had stolen.  
  
Shawn huffed. "I see you got _your_ clothes. What about mine?"   
  
I snickered and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes for Shawn out of my bag. "Yep. I hope they fit, it's always a gamble stealing clothes that actually fit." I replied, tossing him his clothing.  
  
Shawn caught them and smiled. "Yeah, I think they'll fit. Thanks." He replied, standing up and pulling off his old dirty shirt.  
  
"Shawn! Jesus! Let me cover my eyes first, damn it!" I yelped, turning around quickly, trying my best not to blush.  
  
Shawn laughed but didn't reply. I waited a bit more until he gave me the clear. I turned around to see him holding out a loaf of bread, chewing on his own. I smiled and took it, taking a big bite out of it and smiling sheepishly as I chewed. Shawn was great at managing to steal bread above ground. He was surprisingly fast on his feet for his height. He was quiet tall after all. He was at least 2 inches taller then me and he _still_ had growing to do!  
  
I finished my bread and looked at him with a blank expression. "Okay, turn around. I want to get changed out of these damn rags I call clothes." I muttered.  
  
Shawn sighed and turned around, covering his eyes. "So... Tell me. Did you run into trouble at all? I mean... You know with that gang and their 3DM Gear?" He asked as I started to get changed.

  
I was quiet for a moment, debating if I should worry him or not. "........ Yeah." I sighed, hoping he wouldn't ask too into it.  
  
Shawn growled. " What the hell happened this time?"  
  
I huffed, just finishing up with my new clothes. "They were stealing from the same place I was. I ran into the girl out of the three. She of course called for their leader. I quickly got out of there with the stuff before he could arrive. However, they did manage to chase me a good ways away. I tried to lead them off the main trail to the hide out. I lost them on the way. So we're good." I muttered, fixing my shirt and shorts. "Okay. It's clear." I replied, giving him the okay to turn around.  
  
Shawn turned around and frowned. "You shouldn't wear such short shorts down here, (Y/N)."   
  
I frowned. "I know! But thanks to that damn girl, Isabel, I had to grab the closest thing there was to jeans! I just happened to grab these, okay!" I huffed in defense.  
  
Shawn sighed in annoyance. "We really need to get our hands on some of that 3DM Gear. I have no idea where those shit heads got them..."  
  
"Agreed. And I think I can help out with that idea." I smirked.  
  
Shawn gave me a curious glare. "Oh? How exactly do you plan to do that?" He asked.  
  
"I know for a fact that the 3DM Gear is always on the Military Police. If we just manage to knock them out, then we can grab the gear and run." I replied.  
  
Shawn grinned. "Great idea! One problem. How the HELL are we gonna learn to use it?!" He snapped.  
  
"I've seen how that other gang uses them. I know the basics, it's just a matter of teaching our selves to use them." I replied, grabbing Shawn's wrist and dragging him through the narrow tunnel.   
  
"Fine. Then this means you're gonna have to come above ground with me. I can't carry two 3DM Gears at once." Shawn replied, pulling his hand from my grip and following me out of the narrow tunnel that led to the sorry excuse for a village.   
  
"I'm fine with that." I replied.  
  
"Yeah. I know that, but you aren't exactly a person to..._ Concentrate_ all the time." Shawn huffed, taking lead and leading me to the staircase that exited the underground.  
  
"Are you saying I day dream to much!?" I pouted.  
  
"Yes." Shawn muttered.  
  
"... Do you blame me. I just want to be normal... I want to be a normal girl that lives above grounds. A girl who will find a nice husband and have a family to raise in a nice house!" I huffed.  
  
"You're only 19." Shawn muttered.  
  
I face palmed. "I know that! I meant for my future, you dumb ass!" I huffed, as we walked up the stairs to the main streets of Sina.   
  
"Just shut up and keep close to me." Shawn ordered, walking through the crowds of people.  
  
I sighed and followed close behind him. Of course he doesn't understand. His mind is always set on survival than the future. I looked around, looking through the crowd of people. It took a good ten minutes until I saw two MP's walking down an alleyway. Perfect!  
  
"Shawn. Look." I whispered, looking over at the MP's.  
  
Shawn smirked."Come on." He said, running quickly, but quietly over to the MP's who turned the corner and down the empty alley.

"Man, the crime here has been acting up a lot recently, huh?" The taller and younger MP muttered.

The older man huffed, as if he was repeating something for the millionth time "That's exactly why we can't let our guard down. Those damn thugs with our stolen 3DM gear could strike at any- OOF!" The man was cut off as Shawn didn't waste time to jab his hand directly into the pressure point on his neck, knocking him unconscious as he fell face first to the ground.

"HEY! What the hell do you think you're- AH!" Before the last MP could finish his sentence, I quickly took aim and repeated the same technique Shawn had just done. Both MP's now laid unconscious on the cement ground in front of us. 

"Quick, grab the gear!" Shawn ordered, unstrapping the gear from one of the men. I quickly did the same thing, making sure to remember how they suited it on themselves so I could properly gear up. Once the both of us were properly equipped Shawn didn't have to bother telling me on what to do next as we bolted from the scene.

Honestly, I still question how in gods name we still managed to get back underground without any strange looks.  
  
Once we were far enough away from the surface opening I let out a excited giggle "Wow, what a rush! We totally kicked ass!" I grinned.  
  
"That was rather lucky, but let's not let our guard down quite yet." Shawn replied. His voice was relaxed, however, I could see in his eyes that he was feeling the same excitement I was.  
  
I rolled my eyes playfully and continued walking down the tunnels. Both of us were quiet for a few minutes after that, regaining our composer. 

However, the silence was soon ripped away from us as I heard voices coming from farther down the tunnel. Quickly, I grabbed Shawn and dragged him to the nearest narrow tunnel trying to fight throw it. "Crap!" I whispered a bit too loudly for my liking.  
  
"It's too narrow for us to fit with the 3DMG. We're gonna have to use it to stick to the ceiling." Shawn snapped, using his 3DMG to pull himself above the ground. I quickly did the same thing, lifting myself above the ground and sticking to the caves ceiling. I shot Shawn a nervous glance as the voices got closer. I recognized them almost instantly. Not those jerks again... Great.   
  
"How about we steal some alcohol!" The only female in the group cheered as I watched them come into view. I looked over at Shawn he was mouthing something to me. I raised an eyebrow at him as to ask what the hell he wanted.  
  
Shawn bit his lip, doing his best not to sigh in annoyance. He then pointed to one of my latches for the 3DMG. My eyes widened, seeing it was coming loose from the caves ceiling. Oh shit...   
  
"We don't need alcohol. We need food." The guy that acted as the leader grumbled, clearly not amused.  
  
"Awwww, why not!? You're no fun, Levi." The girl pouted childishly.   
  
The leader, named Levi made a 'tch' sound and continued to lead the two down the tunnel. I watched anxiously as they passed us. Damn it, please latch just stay in the damn roof for one more second!   
  
Just as I thought that I felt the latch detach from the ceiling, forcing a yelp of surprise to escape my lips. Shawn's eyes widen as I fell to the floor, landing right behind Levi and his group, the impact from falling flat on my back knocked the air out of me, forcing me to breath in and gasp, desperate for air to fill my lungs once more.

The three rebels turned around almost instantly glaring down at me in annoyance.

Shawn didn't waste a second, quickly jumping down and standing in front of me in a protective manor.   
  
"What the actual fuck...?" The blonde male said in surprise.

"Back off, ya dumb blonde." Shawn warned, glaring at them.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Where'd they get the 3DMG?" Isabel asked, completely ignoring the situation.  
  
I groaned, slowly forcing myself to sit up to lock eyes with the leader, Levi. His gaze was emotionless, then again, when does he ever take that same look off his face. Hell, whenever I see them around he's always so... Blank.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as Shawn spoke up. "You okay, (y/n)?" He asked, his voice calm but irritated.   
  
I huffed, giving him a look that read 'are you seriously asking me this right now?'. "I've been better..." I grumbled, taking his hand and allowing him to help me to my feet.  
  
"What were you two doing latched onto the roof?" Levi muttered, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Trying to avoid you." I shot back bluntly.  
  
"Well, you obviously did a horrible job at it." Levi muttered bluntly back.  
  
"No need to point out the obvious." I growled.  
  
"Okay, I guess my question wasn't important enough." The girl shrugged in a sarcastic way as she took a step towards Shawn and I.

"What are you doing?" Shawn snapped, once again standing in front of me defensively.  
  
"Checking to see if she's alright." The girl replied simply. I blinked in surprise. Why would she care? I thought that she had something against me and Shawn along with the rest of their group.   
  
Shawn frowned. "What's with the sudden act of kindness?" He asked, clearly just as confused as I was.

The girl huffed, looking slightly annoyed now. "Look, I know we've had our differences... And I know we haven't exactly allowed you to share our thievery grounds. But, just hear me out, maybe we could call it truths." She suggested.

"Isabel, we haven't discussed this as a group yet!" The blonde male spoke up.

The girl named Isabel frowned at this, looking back at her friends. "Oh, come on! Don't act like you weren't thinking the same thing. Besides, they both have the 3DM Gear it only make sense if they join the gang, plus it's better than starting an unnecessary quarrel for thieving territory. Oh, and no offense to the two of you, but having a girl in the group would be nice for me."

"You say that like you act like one." Levi grumbled.  
  
Isabel frowned. "What's that suppose to mean!?" She snapped.  
  
"I don't think this is the time or place to start an argument!" The blonde man said, trying to stop the two from throwing insults at each other.  
  
"We don't want to join your stupid group." Shawn spat, glaring at Levi. "Especially after that punch to the face from damn leader."   
  
I bit my lip, stopping myself from replying as I remembered just how angry and pissed that left Shawn. He refused to go into detail on what exactly happened between the two... But all I know is that Shawn didn't get a chance to return the hit.

I blinked seeing Shawn giving this questioning look."... Right, (y/n)?:

"... Well, I'm not saying I _want _to join. But I think it'd be in the best interest if we consider it. We've been having a lot of trouble with stealing food lately and it'd be a lot easier to work with the enemy than against them. Besides... They also could help us learn how to properly use the 3DMG." I pointed out. I didn't like the fact of joining them, especially with how Shawn resented them. But... We do what we must to survive.  
  
Isabel smiled. "Please, Levi! Please!" She begged.  
  
Levi did not look too pleased either. "... Fine. But if they get into trouble I'm not helping them out of it." He warned.  
  
"YES!" Isabel cheered, jumping in the air from success.   
  
Shawn frowned and I sighed in both relief and annoyance. Something tells me this is gonna be just wonderful.


	2. Captured

Shawn and I weren't quick to trust others... Especially due to our pasts. We both have had someone important to us that abandoned us or abused us in some way or another... In his case it was his parents. They hated his existence, all because he was a born a boy. His dumb ass mother was so fixated on having a girl she literally went insane with the fact that she didn't birth one.

To be honest, I don't know if Shawn had older siblings or not... He'd never bring up the past with me. Hell, I only knew about his mother because he got so drunk one night that he started to vent to me about basically anything that came to mind. But with that being said, I felt that I could relate to him. I saw him as an older brother, someone that I could trust.

After all, he saved me that day. That day I was kidnapped from my parents and dragged down to this shit hole to be sold on the market to some thirsty man who was willing to pay the biggest price. I frowned, remembering how my parents were brutally murdered that day, I was only eleven years old. 

Quickly I shook the thought out of my head, knowing that if I kept thinking about that stuff, it'd only raise the risks of dying. And that day Shawn saved me, he made me promise him to keep fighting. To do whatever it takes to survive, because if I didn't what would dying really do for my parents sacrifice. 

That being all said an done, Shawn wasn't getting along with our new group members. And to be honest, I wasn't at first either... But it's been almost a year now living among them. I suppose I have found myself slowly opening up to the three. Mostly Isabel, she was always the life of party. Despite the situation she always had something funny or completely ridiculous to say in the moment. It would never fail to cheer me up... Well, it wouldn't cheer me up completely. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't get upset here and there despite her attempts. But overall, it was a nice change. I never had any friends of the same gender, that being said, she wasn't to be underestimated. She could handle herself just like a full grown man in dire situations and I liked that about her. In fact, I learned quite a lot from her.

Then there was Furlan, the blonde of the group. He was not bad, in fact he always did his best to avoid conflict. I admired how he could keep himself composed in tight situations. He was overall someone I felt I could trust. To be honest, I'd be lying if I said he wasn't the first one to gain it.

And finally, I glanced over at the shorter figure who was leading us down the busy alleyway of the underground, Levi. He was the one I struggled to understand most out of the group. Even after all this time, he doesn't seem to fully trust us. I mean, I can understand why he couldn't trust Shawn, after all, he would never bring up his plans to the group before acting on them. And not to mention the fact the two seemed to despise each other. But even with that being said... I still felt a bit unsettled that he didn't seem to trust me either. I still don't understand why I feel offended by this, like really, why of things that could be bothering me, that was the main issue.

I snapped out of my thoughts as we walked past the people around us. I narrowed my eyes, seeing the glares they were all shooting our way. That's right, we aren't exactly well-liked here... Our group has sorta become infamous for our crimes. It only makes sense we're getting dirty looks.

I blinked, looking back to the front of the group, seeing Levi shove past one of the glaring men. I couldn't tell if it was Levi that forced the contact or if it was the man himself.

The man, however, didn't seemed pleased at all. He let out a yowl of pain at that, clearly over reacting. "OW!! It hurts!" He cried out, trying to cause a scene. Damn it...

That being said, Levi seemed to be doing his best to ignore it and so was the rest of the group... However, the people around us weren't having it. "Hey, you stop right there!" A man from the street shouted at us. This seemed to catch Levi's attention as he glanced over at the guy in annoyance.

"Yeah, you!" The blonde man snapped, catching Levi's gaze for a quick second. "You little shrimp! You run someone over without so much as an apology!?" The man spat, Levi didn't say a word, still making his way down the street. "I know you can hear me!!" The man yelled after him.

"That con man's yelling at you..." Isabel whispered, clearly starting to get nervous.

"Give it up, don't you know who they are?!" The man continued to yell. "Hey! I said stop or I'll let the air in through your head!" He threatened, making me tense up. This has gotten out of hand, damn it. My eyes went wide as I noticed the man pull out a gun. Shit.  
  
Levi instantly stopped in his tracks, still keeping silent.

"We don't have time to get distracted here." Furlan spoke up, seeing that the man clearly hit a nerve in his friend.

Shawn and I kept our mouths shut, knowing our word wouldn't make a difference in the matter.

"Oh, come on! What's wrong with a little fun before work!" Isabel chirped. Of course she's encouraging this, great. 

And with that, Levi spun around, shooting one of the 3DM Gear's latches directly at the mans face. I watched with wide eyes as it literally scraped past his cheek and attached itself to one of the barrels behind him. Levi used this to knock the barrels off balance forcing them to fall down towards the man with the gun. However, the fool acted quickly, shooting a round at directly at us. We all scattered at this, using our 3DM Gear to fly upwards and avoid the bullet.

This took the men off guard, giving us an opening. I quickly managed to fall directly on top of one of the shorter men, forcing him to fall flat on his back, the air knocked out of him. I looked around seeing Isabel had done the same with the other man. Shawn and Furlan were keeping guard on each side of us. I looked over at Levi seeing he too had pinned the larger man that took fire, directly on his back. His foot to his throat.

"Hey..." Levi spoke up, clearly expect more of a fight. "What happened to the other one..." He trailed off, as he looked back to see Isabel and I. I tensed up at that, worried I may have acted out of line. 

However, Levi just gave me a blank stare. He didn't seem upset, however, I still felt tense under his gaze.

Levi clicked his tongue. "Well, alright then." He muttered, stepping off of the unconscious man beneath him. "Let's get going, we lost some time. We're going by air." He declared, jumping off into the sky. All of us instantly followed after him, not wasting another second. After all, we had a plan to sneak into one of the bakeries down here and steal their goods. After all the spying we've been doing just to find out the owner is out of the problem for an hour or so around noon, it'd really be an annoyance is we didn't get there on time. Not to mention the fact we're lacking food.

We all silently maneuvered through the air towards our destination for around ten minutes.

"Hey! We're being followed" Shawn warned, making Furlan look back. He had the best eye sight out of us all.

"There are four fifty meters behind!" He declared.

"God damn, Military Police..." I growled.

"I've gotta hand it to them though, working at a time like this..." Isabel replied.

"There's not as many this time." Furlan added.

"They just don't seem to learn, do they?" Isabel huffed.

"We can't afford to lead them straight to our hideout." Levi spoke up. 

"What about the plan?" Shawn replied.

"Forget the plan, Shawn, we're already late!" I huffed back at him

"She's right, it's a pain, but..." Levi trailed off, everyone seemed to exchange glances at that.

"Let's get this over with..." Shawn sighed in defeat.

"Here we go!" Levi ordered, suddenly spiraling downwards as we spread out doing the same. I watched following Levi's movements, watching as he took the chance to make a distraction that could slow the MP's down, shoving some of the citizens to the side. I looked over at Isabel, seeing her give me a excited grin the both of us knocking more people off their feet.

"Sorry, not sorry!" I laughed, as I shoved two more to the side.

Once the damage was done and Levi had managed to knock a carriage man from his seat, we all spiraled upwards once more.

I watched as Furlan did his best to catch up to Levi. "Hey. They're still coming after us." He warned him.

"Shit, guys, they're even closer then before!" Shawn warned from the rear.

"Damn, these guys must be higher up in the ranks..." I muttered.

"A shame they're wasting their time." Isabel smirked.

"What a bother... So then why are they wasting it here?" Furlan huffed.

Levi scowled at this, a confused look forming on his features. That's not a good sign. But then again, Furlan had a point. Why bother wasting their time chasing us when they could just be off doing their own thing above ground.

"What should we do?" I asked, looking back at Levi. 

"... Something isn't right." He muttered, seeming to be unsure.

"What?" Furlan asked, clearly concerned now

"They... May not be Military Police." Levi replied.

"You're kidding...?" Shawn snapped.

"No... I'll make sure. Everyone double back fast at this next pillar." He ordered, not wasting another second. We all did as planned, everyone swinging and making a sharp turn around the pillar in front of us. Once we managed to do so, we all looked back. There's no way they'd manage to pull off a move like that if they're just MP's...

"WHOO! Not bad!" Isabel cheered, seeming to think it worked like a charm, only to see the look on Levi's face as well as my own. I have a bad feeling.

"... I mean, shit." She corrected herself, clearly not wanting to look like a fool to Levi. I knew she looked up to him like he was an older brother, so I was used to this behavior. Suddenly, my eyes went wide as the entire troop that was following us quickly whipped around the corner of the pillar, pulling off the same move we had. Shit, you're kidding! Just who are these people?!

Levi clicked his tongue. "Just what I'd expect from Survey Corps." He scowled.

"Wait, Survey Corps? You don't mean..." I yelped, trailing off. Why are they after us?! Aren't they known to hunt titans outside the walls?

"Are you sure?" Furlan asked.

"Yeah." Levi replied. "I saw the marks on their backs when they passed by."

"Aren't the Survey Corps the ones who go outside the walls and fight titans?" Shawn asked as our group continued to fly through the air.

"I guess battle-hardened troops are something else!" Isabel spoke her mind.

"Levi." Furlan urged on.

"I got no intention of getting mixed up with these guys." Levi replied. "But now that their after us, they won't be easy to lose either."

"I'll take them on! I'll make everyone of 'em cry!" Isabel smirked.

"Damn it, this has become an ordeal." Furlan frowned nervously.

"Not to mention, if we get caught, they'll confiscate our 3DM Gear." I pointed out.

"God, even if we get out of punishment, it's going to be a pain." Shawn growled.

"Then just don't get caught." Levi replied bluntly.

"Yeah, thanks, captain obvious!" I huffed back. I've had enough of his shitty attitude.

"Does everyone get it?" Levi asked, ignoring my outburst.

"Yeah, yeah." Furlan sighed.

"O'course" Isabel grinned.

"Right." Shawn nodded.

And at that, we all scattered. I frowned, seeing two of them follow directly after me, the other two seemed to seek out Levi as he went out of sight. Shit, there looks like there's more than one commanding officer in their group. Time to put all that training to good use.

Quickly, I began to zig-zag from wall to wall as fast as I could. I knew this was risky, considering it used up a lot of gas, but what other option did I have. I then quickly ducked under a bridge that connected two buildings, seeing an opening as I quickly made a sharp turn left, then repeating the process and turning right. I looked back once I had more of a proper chance, not seeing anyone following us as I sped through the back alleyway. That should do it. There's no way they're that stupid to use all their gas like that.

I frowned, seeing just how low I was on gas. Shit. Quickly, I latched onto a roof top and took cover, slipping against the wall nervously. I couldn't help but feel as if I was being watched. I hope the others are okay. I suddenly turned the corner of the roof's wall only to come face to face with Levi himself. Oh, come on! I saw him go in the opposite direction!! Smooth move, great way to earn his respect, (y/n)! 

However, Levi's surprised expressed quickly vanished as he grabbed me by the shoulder forcing me to move to a safer position. "Tell me you don't have any on your trail." He spoke up in a loud whisper.

"I'm positive I lost them." I replied with a frown of annoyance, letting him lead me towards a sheltered and darker hiding spot. However, just as we were making our way over, I heard the sound of a latch disconnect, forcing both Levi and I snap our gazes to see one of the troop officers charge directly towards me. I felt my heart skip a beat, the next thing I knew I was shoved out of the way, my gaze turning back to see Levi take the tackle that would of certainly hit me. I fell on my ass, watching as Levi struggled to hold off the blonde officer. He took every bit of strength he had and grabbed him by the back of the jacket, forcefully flipping him backwards and into the wall behind us.

"Get up, there should be another one!" Levi warned as I scrambled to my feet, backing up into a defensive fighting position, back to back with Levi. "Where the hell is he hiding..." Levi growled, the both of us looking for any signs of movement.

Within half a second, I quickly spotted the blonde officer shoot out from behind a wall. "There!" I shouted as Levi and and I were forced to separate our defensive stance, dodging the officer who landed directly where we were standing. We both latched onto the wall, only for me to let out a yelp of surprise. Shit! My gas is gone, I can't... Oh no.

I looked back, seeing the the officer had gone after Levi, making me relax slightly for a quick moment only to be grabbed by the wrist from the first officer that Levi had thrown. He pulled my hands forcefully back behind my back, as I cried out in anger and pain, my gaze landing on Furlan and Isabel who were being held down in the same way I was. Where's Shawn!?

I looked back at Levi seeing he was giving the officer a fight still. He hasn't realized yet.

"Stop!" The fighting officer shouted at him, making Levi hesitate."Look around you!" He ordered as Levi caught sight of the three of us struggling in the remaining troop's grasp.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Isabel shouted, struggling the most out of us three.

"Don't waste your strength, Isabel." Furlan spoke up, he seemed to have accepted it already... We've been caught and knowing Shawn, he's not going to risk taking these officers on by himself. If he's smart, he'll run.

"Squad leader, are you all right?" The only female officer asked.

"Yes. You all did well." The blonde officer spoke as I glared at him with disgust. This guy...

I glared as he looked back at Levi. "Now. I have some questions to ask you... Where did you get your hands on this." He asked, holding up the 3DM Gear.


	3. A Plan

I bit back a growl as I was forced to sit on my knees with the rest of our group, minus Shawn... I can't help but wonder if this whole thing is my fault. After all, I was suppose to scatter, not run directly into Levi.

I looked down in frustration with the group as the so called _'Squad Leader' _looked down on us. "First things first, your vertical maneuvering skills were excellent. Who exactly taught you?"

We all kept our mouth firmly shut with this first question. To be honest, I learned from Levi and the others, but I don't know where they learned it from... I never asked. I watched as the blonde squad leader walked over to stand in front of Levi, looking down at him. "You. You're their leader, right? Have you ever received military training?" He asked him, once again, silence filled the air as Levi glared daggers at the man. Well, he was stubborn, I'm not surprised he's glaring at him like that.

I watched as the squad leader watched a moment before speaking up once again. "That's the face of a man... " He scowled. "... Who wants to kill me and escape." I watched as the squad leader turned away from us. "I'd like to avoid any rough treatment if I can..." He muttered, giving a nod to one of his comrades.

I tensed up as the other officer suddenly grabbed Levi by the hair, slamming his face into a stream of who knows what. God, I hope that's not sewage, for Levi's sake. Me, Isabel, and Furlan watched in shock as Levi growled, glaring up at the squad leader in pure hatred.

"I'll ask again." The squad leader spoke. "Where did you learn vertical maneuvering?" He ordered.

Levi kept quiet at this, not saying a word. Shit, this isn't going to end well...

"Hey! You think we're just gonna let a civil servant push us around?! We didn't learn it from anyone!" Isabel snapped, clearly realizing this as well.

"Anyone who doesn't know what sewage tastes like couldn't understand! We figured it out so we could survive in this dump!" Furlan added, glaring at the squad leader.

The squad leader stared at us for a moment before looking back at Levi." What are your names? My name is Erwin Smith." He spoke, introducing himself and completely ignoring the outbursts from Isabel and Furlan. Asshat expects us to just say our names after that?! Idiot.

My eyes went wide as the other officer suddenly pushed Levi's entire face into the dirty water, cutting off his oxygen. I felt fear suddenly run through me. " Stop it!" I snapped, making Isabel and Furlan look at me in shock. " You're Survey Corps, right?! So why the hell are you wasting your time with us!" I yelled, glaring at Erwin with pure hatred.

Erwin narrowed his eyes at that, looking over at the officer that had control of Levi, giving him a nod. The officer then lifted Levi's face from the filthy water, a gasp coming from the man as he struggled to regain his breath. "I do applaud your determination, but if you keep it up.. We'll have to move onto your comrades." Erwin glared over at me, as I looked at him in shock. The next thing I knew Isabel, Furlan and I all had a blade to our throats.

"If you're going to do it, do it!" Isabel snapped. Why is she encouraging them!?

"What is your name?" Erwin repeated his order, glazing down at Levi with a stern look.

"You bastard..." Levi finally spoke up, glancing back at us with concern. He was quiet for a moment, his gaze returning to Erwin. "... It's Levi." He finally replied, gaining a smile of approval from the squad leader.

"Levi." Erwin spoke, kneeling down to his level. "How about you make a deal with me?" He suggested, making me blink in surprise. What is this guy playing at?

"... A deal?" Levi spoke, clearly surprised as well.

"Simple. I won't ask about your crimes. In return, you will lend me your strength and join the Survey Corps." Errwin suggested. You're kidding? No way, if we join them then we're stuck fighting titans... Like real live, murderous titans!

"If I refuse?" Levi asked. He better as hell not be considering this!

"Then I turn you and your friends over to the Military Police. And Considering your crimes, I don't think you can expect a decent treatment. Choose whichever path you wish." Erwin replied.

We all looked over at Levi, awaiting his reply. I admit, we don't exactly have much of an option here... But there's got to be another way around it.

Levi gritted his teeth in frustration. "Very well. I'll join the Survey Corps." He huffed in defeat.

Erwin smiled at this. "Good choice. Now, let's not waste any more time and head above ground." 

_~Time Skip~_

I felt sick to my stomach as we arrived in carriage to our new living quarters. All I could think about was how in the world is Shawn going to find us? I hope he's safe. Everyone stayed silent as the carriage came to a halt in front of the building. We waited until someone came around and opened the door for us.

"Alright, you thugs, follow me." The man that had opened the door ordered. And at that, we all got to our feet, doing as we were told and following the man who led us inside of the building. We all silently walked down the halls of what seemed to be one of many Survey Corps headquarters. I kept quiet as they led us into a room that had a few chairs here and there, nothing of importance considering it was pretty much just filled with useless supplies.

"You four will be staying here for the night, seems that there still needs to be proper discussion on where you'll be living." The man spoke, ignore the glares we were giving him. "You are not to leave this building." He ordered before closing the door behind him as he walked out.

Once the the sound of his footsteps disappeared the tension in the room seemed to die down ever so slightly. I looked down sadly, not sure what to say to the others.

"So now what...?" Isabel spoke up, breaking the silence as she took a seat on one of the benches.

"I guess we've got no choice... Unless Levi has some plan?" Furlan replied, sitting beside her. I watched as Levi took a seat on one of the chairs across from them. He seemed to be thinking on something. I frowned, sitting down in the free chair next to him.

"Levi, doesn't entering the Survey Corps mean..." Furlan trailed off.

"I have no intention of enlisting." Levi replied. "I came here to get closer to that blonde jackass." He explained bluntly.

"What about Shawn... He's still out there." I pointed out.

"I doubt we'll be seeing him again, unless he's more skilled then he tends to show." Levi replied glancing over at me, making me bit back a scowl. I hated to admit it, but... What if he's right?

"Why get closer to Erwin?" Isabel asked.

Levi looked over at her clicking his tongue. "Simple, I'll wait for an opening... And then I'll kill that rat bastard." He growled, clearly still fuming from the treatment he got before.

"Wait, think about it. There'd be no way for our enemies to make contact with us again if we stay here. It'd be pointless to kill Erwin now. Levi, this is our big chance!" Furlan replied, making me blink. He was right, we'd be able to avoid living a life down in the undergrounds. We may actually have a chance surviving longer this way.

Levi scowled at this."Would you rather be stuck fighting titans for the dumb blonde then?" He pointed out.

"What if we just wait for a better opening, gain his trust, then strike?" I suggested.

"Exactly! Levi, I know this will work, you have to trust us!" Furlan begged.

Levi studied Furlan's gaze before looking over at me. "You understand that if we decide to do this, it means we can't put our hopes in your _boyfriend_." He replied, making me flinch at the word 'boyfriend'.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Shawn's not my boyfriend! He's like a brother to me!" I corrected him, making Levi roll his eyes.

"Wait, you two aren't a thing?" Isabel asked, looking at me in surprise.

"What the hell made you all think that?!"I yelped.

Furlan chuckled "Well, he does look at you in a way-..."

"Back to the point! We won't be searching for him either. " Levi interrupted him.

I felt my heart drop, taking in the reality of the situation. I hated to admit it but they were right. "... It's clear we don't have much of a choice. But, if he somehow does manage to make his way back to us, do I have your word that you'll stand up for him if necessary?" I asked.

Levi sighed at that. "I suppose, but that's very unlikely."

I relaxed slightly at that. "Then... Let's go with this plan." I agreed, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.

"I'll consider it." Levi grumbled, clearly still wanting to kill Erwin his way.

"... Alright." Furlan replied, knowing he couldn't fight Levi on it anymore than we already have.

That night, we were basically stuck in this room. No one came around to move our locations, the only time someone opened the door was every few hours to check and see that we were still here. I was sitting up against the wall, watching as Furlan and Isabel looked for any sort of comfortable fabric to sleep on. Looks like we're sleeping on the hard floor again, what else is new. At least it's not cold and damp in here. I hope Shawn is doing okay... I hate myself for having to even consider not seeing him again.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard footsteps walk over to me. "... Here." My gaze landed on the familiar face of Levi's as he tossed me a blanket that he had found.

I blinked in surprise as I caught it. "Thanks..." I spoke, looking up at him. "But what about you?" I asked.

Levi huffed at that, pointing back at the small makeshift pile of towels on the floor, a single blanket on top. I looked over to see Furlan and Isabel also had their own makeshift nest. "You've been staring at the same damn place for over an hour now." He muttered. "If we want this plan to work, it's best we all stay comfortable while we get the opportunity." He muttered, his voice getting quieter as he looked over to see Isabel and Furlan had their eyes closed, curled up in their makeshift beds.

"I-..." I started, only to stop myself. He had a good point and making up excuses now wasn't going to help me. "... Yeah, alright. Thanks." I muttered, wrapping the blanket around me and flopping down on my side.

Levi didn't say anything at that, making his way back over to his own makeshift bed and getting comfortable. Levi's so odd when trying to show kindness... To be honest, he's only showed me this side of him once over the past eight months. That time when I wanted to try and learn something with the 3DM Gear and just couldn't for the life of me manage to get it right. So I went out and started to practice on my own at night. I bit back a soft smile remembering the grumpy, half asleep glare he gave me when he followed me out of our base that night. If it wasn't for him teaching me how to properly pull off a sharp turn, I doubt I'd be here right now... It's saved my ass on multiple occasions since then.

That being said, I still felt he didn't completely trust me. Up until today, when I suggested the the plan with Furlan... I was honestly surprised he considered it, not to mention I had added to it myself. Maybe he's starting to consider me part of the group now... I really hope so.

_ ~Time Skip~ _

We spent the next few days here, the security was lowered for us, allowing us to go outside here and there if needed too. We were basically free to do our own thing as long as we were back before sunset.

I sat alone under a tree, quietly drawing things in a small sketch book that Furlan had found for me. I guess it was no secret that I enjoyed drawing. Whenever I got the chance to sketch something out down in the underground I would never pass up the opportunity.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" I heard Isabel call, making melift my gaze from my sketch book to see her running towards me.

"Hi, Isabel. What's up?" I asked, instantly catching the nervous look in he eyes.

"Oh, well, you know... About that thing I told you about a few weeks ago..." She trailed off, starting to stutter a bit.

"Oh, you mean about your crush on Furlan?" I asked, only for her to slap her hand over my mouth.

"Shhhhh!" She hissed, her face completely red.

I chuckled as she pulled her hand away from my mouth." Sorry, I just figured since, there's no one else around..." I shrugged, standing up an closing my sketch pad. "What about it?"

Isabel sighed. "Well, to be completely honest, part of the reason why I told you my feelings for him was because I thought you had experience in that kind of thing with Shawn..." She admitted.

I gave her a scowl. "Ew, gross. Look, like I said before. He's like a brother to me. Nothing more." I reassure her, trying not to sound too upset.

Isabel nodded. "Yeah, I know... But my point was, I was hoping you'd give me a few tips on how to get him to... You know, notice me in that way." She asked.

"Oh... Have you asked Levi, I mean, he probably knows Furlan better than I do." I suggested.

"No way!!" Isabel yelped. "Levi is the last person I'd ask for romance advise!" 

I couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at that. "Well, good point. I can completely understand why." I chuckled, making her giggle as well.

Once we both regained composer she spoke up again. "You've got to have some idea of how I can catch his attention. Please, (Y/N)?" She begged.

I sighed in defeat. "Well, like you pointed out, I've got no experience in this kind of thing... But I suppose we could give it a try." I replied, humming as I tried to think of ideas. "I know! Why don't we try to get you a cute new outfit?" I suggested. "Something that's a bit showy, but not too showy, at the same time casual?" I explained.

"Oh, that's sounds fun. But, how exactly are we going to get the currency to buy something...?" Isabel asked.

"Shit, I forgot about that part... Damn, and we wouldn't be able to steal it either, considering you'd need to try it on before hand and..." I scowled, trailing off.

"I've got an idea." Isabel spoke up.

"Go on?" I replied, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well, you know how the Survey Corps are paying for our needs and everyday items... Well, we could always just drop the 'I need girl supplies' issue on one of the soldiers...? Maybe they'd give us enough to get something nice?" She explained.

I blinked, that's a really good idea. "I mean, it's worth a try." I shrugged.

"Okay, let's no waste anytime, let's go!" Isabel cheered, grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me after her.

"Okay, okay, Isabel, calm down!" I chuckled as she basically dragged me into the headquarters after her.

The two of us slowed down as we walked side by side down the hall. "Who should we ask..." She whispered to me as we walked by a couple of soldiers.

"It has to be a man, that way they'd get embarrassed easily and agree without second thought." I whispered back.

"What are you two whispering about?" A familiar voice spoke up near the entrance way of the small kitchen.

Isabel and I both froze at that, our eyes landing on an annoyed Levi, a cup of tea in his hand. Isabel looked speechless, clearly she was too embarrassed to reply. 

"Um..." I spoke up, watching him raise an eyebrow. I let out a huff. "It's sorta personal." I explained.

"You're point." Levi huffed back. Shit, now what have I gotten myself into.

I opened my mouth. "I mean-"

"Damn it, Levi, it's a girl issue!" Isabel snapped, catching me completely off guard. 

Levi blinked, clearly as surprised as I was at her outburst. He didn't say another word, he only scoffed and walked passed us without a second glance. I felt my cheeks instantly heating up at this. 

"Isabel!" I whispered loudly at her.

"What? I'm not wrong." She pouted back at me.

I stopped myself from pinching the bridge of my nose. "Alright, come on, let's go." I replied, shrugging it off.

Isabel and I quickly spotted one of the younger Survey Corps make his way down the hallway, his eyes narrowing when they landed on us.

"Sir, excuse me... Could I talk to you for a quick moment?" I asked, being the first to speak up. 

The man raised an eyebrow, walking over to us. "Is something wrong?" He asked, clearly noticing that this was very out of the ordinary for our group. We've been pretty quiet, not saying anything more than needed to, to the other Survey Corps guarding the building.

"Um, well, you see..." I started off, awkwardly scratching the back of my head. 

"We need to run to the store to grab some feminine supplies." Isabel finished for me.

"O-Oh..." The soldier replied, clearly taken back by her boldness.

I sighed. "I know you've been paying for our needs so far, but this is sorta personal. If we could just have a some money to go and grab stuff quickly and come straight back, would that be alright?" I asked, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

The soldier let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose these things can't be helped." He muttered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some cash, counting it before handing it to us. I was surprised he believed us so quickly.... But then again, I guess he didn't want to sound weird asking too much into it.

I took the cash and smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you so much, we really appreciate it." I replied.

"Yeah, yeah, just hurry it along." The solider huffed, clearly not wanting to linger on the topic. Isabel and I watched as he then took his leave, walking past us and down the halls.

As soon as he was out of hearing, Isabel's smile grew to a childish grin. "I can't believe that worked!" She cheered, her voice was lowered into a louder whisper.

"Come on, let's not waste anytime." I replied, leading her down the hall and back outside. Now all we need to do is find something nice for her to wear.

That afternoon, we spent a bit too long looking for something cute for Isabel. The soldier has given us a decent amount of cash, which was great considering we needed it. After looking through a lot of the clothing shops, Isabel finally decided to go with I simple, yet really cute pink and red sundress. We literally just had enough cash to purchase it too. 

"I can't wait to try this on..." Isabel whispered to me in excitement as we walked back into the Survey Corps headquarters. I smiled at her, happy that she was happy.

"You better wait until later tonight." I suggested, stopping her from running off and changing right away.

Isabel huffed. "Yeah... I guess you're right." She agreed, stuffing the bag under her jacket as we opened the door to see Levi and Furlan deep in conversation with who knows what. I just hope to god, no one questions us.

"Oi, took you two long enough." Levi muttered, looking over at us.

"Did you get lost?" Furlan asked.

I shook my head. "We didn't want to rush heading back." I explained, which wasn't a lie either.

"Well, looks like we're relocating tomorrow." Levi huffed, as Isabel took a seat on her makeshift bed.

"Where too?" I asked.

"We're starting training, so we'll be heading up north to the training camp." Furlan explained.

"I see..." I replied, my mind going back to Shawn. Is this really good-bye?

I took a seat next to Furlan on the bench. "What about our plan, have you decided?" I asked, looking at Levi.

"Not yet. I'll make my decision sometime tonight..." Levi huffed, clearly not too pleased I asked. 

"Alright...." I muttered quietly, my mind drifting back to Shawn. 

"Anyways, let's just proceed with the normal routine until then." Levi spoke, snapping me out of my thoughts, seeing his gaze was on me. Could he read me that easily? I gave him a nod at that. I better put on a better mask if I keep worrying about Shawn. I don't want to lose any trust.

I stayed quiet for most of the upcoming hours. And after dinner, I lost sight of where Isabel had slipped off to, concern starting to bubble up inside me. I know I told her she'd could wear it sometime later tonight, but I didn't expect her to actually do so!

I instantly started to look for her, however, as soon as I was about to make my way to the restrooms, I bumped into Furlan. "Oh, sorry, Furlan." I spoke up.

"Hey, follow me. I found out where Levi's been hiding out every night before bed." He grinned.

"Sure, but have you seen Isabel?" I asked.

"No, I'm sure she'll be up here in a bit though. She always has her way of finding us." Furlan replied, leading me up a small staircase that hid behind a sharp turn in the hall. I didn't even notice this before.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I decided that Isabel would be alright on her own, letting Furlan lead me up to the roof. As soon as we walked outside, my eyes had to adjust to the darkness. The town lights gleaming below us was the only source of light nearby. Quickly, I spotted Levi sitting at the edge of the roof, seeming to be deep in thought.

"So this is where you've been sneaking off to every night, why didn't you share this place with us." Furlan spoke up, snapping Levi out of his thoughts as he looked back to see the two of us, walking over to him.

"To be honest, I thought you were sneaking out to get some revenge on our enemies..." I admitted.

"You three are so loud I would be too irritated to get any killing done." He huffed back. "Where's Isabel?" 

"Not sure, I'm sure she'll be up in a bit though." Furlan replied, taking a seat next to Levi. 

I plopped down on the other side of him, my gaze focused on the stars above. This was a sight that would never get old to me, especially considering the fact I had to live without it for so long.

Silence filled the air at this as we all just sat there looking up at the stars. However, that silence didn't last long as I heard another pair of footsteps walk up behind us. "It'd of been nice to know where you all went before hand." Isabel huffed as I looked back to see her in her new sundress.

"Isabel..." I spoke, seeing how she didn't care if the sun was up or not when wearing the new outfit.

I looked over to see the others reactions. Levi didn't seem surprised, but the shocked, open mouth look Furlan had on his face was priceless.

"So this was what you two were whispering about before..." Levi huffed, his gaze resting on me.

I tensed up seeing he didn't look too pleased that we snuck around doing something like this.

"You look great, Isabel!" Furlan smiled, right when Levi was about to scold me.

Isabel grinned happily at this. "You think so? Thanks so much!" She smiled a barely visible blush tinting her cheeks. It was dark out, so this told me she was probably blushing more than I could see.

I raised an eyebrow at Levi, urging him to continue. He bit back a sigh, just as expected. "I'll chat with you later..." He warned me under his breath.

Isabel took a seat next to Furlan as we all sat there admiring the stars... Well, Levi, Isabel, and I did. Furlan was completely fixated with Isabel's new look, however.... It was getting the point where he's been staring for a bit too long.

Levi and I where the only ones who seemed to notice though, Isabel was too fixated with the stars to notice herself.

Levi coughed awkwardly. "Furlan..." He spoke, trying to snap his friend out of it.

"Hmm?" Furlan hummed, his gaze not leaving Isabel. Wow, I didn't expect it to work that well.

Levi huffed. "I've decided to trust your plan." He replied. This was enough to catch Furlan's attention, as he looked back as Levi in surprise. "I won't kill him for now." 

Furlan nodded. "I'm glad you decided to trust us." He replied, his gaze landing back on Isabel who this time noticed, both their faces going a dark shade of pink. This is getting a bit awkward. Maybe we should leave.

Just as I thought that, Levi stood up. "I'm heading to bed." He muttered, clearly he felt just as awkward as I did.

I quickly sat and followed after him. "Me too, don't stay up too late guys!" I warned, as Levi and I entered the building. The two of us were silent as we made our way back to our room, once we were inside, Levi's gaze landed on me. He looked conflicted, as if he wanted to scold me but at the same time he knew he couldn't.

"What's wrong?" I smirked at him.

"... Just go to bed." He grumbled in defeat. 


	4. Settling In

"ATTENTION!" I flinched as the commanding officer yelled rather loudly beside me. Levi, Isabel, Furlan and I were standing up on a porch in front of the main building. It had been a couple day since we we left the other Survey Corps building and now they had us introducing ourselves to all the squad leaders.

"I'm here to present four new recruits that will be fighting alongside you!" The commander explained to the crowd in front of us. "Now, you four... Introduce yourselves."

Silence filled the air for a moment, making me feel even more nervous then I already was. I didn't want to be the first to say my name, and I figured the same for the others.

"... Name's Levi." Levi broke the silence a somewhat annoyed look in his eyes.

"Isabel Magnolia. Nice to meet all o'ya!" Isabel chirped in.

"My name's (y/n) (l/n). It's a pleasure." I spoke up as well.

"I'm Furlan Church.... Sir." Furlan finished the introductions off. I couldn't help but notice how uninterested most of the squad leaders looked. I can't say a blame them though. We're criminals in their eyes.

"Right, they will be assigned to Flagon's squad. Take good care of them, Flagon." The commander finished.

"Y-You're putting them on my squad?" The man named Flagon yelped in surprise.

"Is that a problem?" The commander glared.

"N-No! I just thought surely they'd be placed under squad leader Erwin..." Flagon explained nervously.

The commander bit back a sigh. "I will be assigning Erwin to support expedition command in maintaining the new formation outside the wall." He explained. "Because of that, he will have no time to look after new soldiers. Understood?"

Flagon instantly saluted. "Yes, sir! I understand, sir!"

"Alright, that's all!" The commander declared, showing us off the porch and over to squad leader Flagon.

"Follow me." Flagon instructed, leading us away from the group and towards another building. I followed the others inside, looking around and seeing bunk beds, and lots of them. "This is the Military Barracks." He explained, leading us down the rows of beds.

"There's quite a few, huh..." Furlan spoke, trying to count all the beds.

"No, really." I agreed in a sarcastic way.

"Sweet! So we all get to sleep in the same room?!" Isabel cheered.

"The woman's barracks are separate." Flagon replied. Judging by how many beds are in here, I'd rather that be the case!

"Awww! I wanna stay here too!" Isabel whined, clearly not seeing the real reason behind it.

"That's enough, Isabel!" Furlan warned her.

"Furlan, how could you?!" Isabel huffed.

"I didn't make the rules!" Furlan replied in defense as we stopped walking

"This bunk's for you two." Flagon explained, referring to the dusty beds in front of us. I watched, as Levi walked over to the bunk, staring it down. 

I quickly realized why, as he ran a hand under the bed frame watching dust fall down with his touch. A look of disgust on his face. I swear, this man has OCD or something, because he is always disgusted by dirty places... Even though he basically grew up in one.

Flagon huffed, breaking the tense silence. "Look, I know you've spent your whole lives living in a trash heap... But try to keep this place clean." I instantly tensed up at his words, knowing all too well how Levi would take that.

"What?" Levi spat back at him. "What did you just say?"

"Hey! Don't take that tone with your superior officer, you little punk!" Flagon snapped back. Oh no, there goes our plan on trying to get close to the enemy! Why didn't I see this coming!?

Just as Levi was about to make another snarky remark, Furlan suddenly stood in between the two. "Aaany-way!" He spoke up with an awkward forced smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Squad Leader, sir! We'll keep it clean!" He saluted awkwardly.

Flagon huffed at this." Right, come to the training yard tomorrow morning, five on the dot. Church will beat you into shape, starting with a proper salute." Flagon grumbled, storming out of the room.

As soon as the coast was clear, Furlan whipped his head around glaring at Levi who still looked very annoyed. "Levi! Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble?!" He snapped, referring to how we agreed to get close to the enemy and not the complete opposite.

Levi glared at Furlan, starting to mess with the bed sheets of the bottom bunk. "Didn't you hear how he talked about us? Like shit calling shit dirty." He grumbled.

I bit back a sigh. I should be used to this by now, but even so, whenever these two bicker I can't help but notice how much they seem like siblings. Levi being the smart-ass older brother and Furlan being the stubborn younger brother. I couldn't help but giggle a bit at the thought.

However, as soon as I did, I instantly regretted it, as Levi's glare landed on me. Furlan spoke up before he could say anything, however...

"Military hazing is always vicious. If you draw attention over something like this..." Furlan trailed off, seeing how Levi's glare hadn't left me.

Levi huffed at this, finally taking his gaze away from mine. "They'll only treat you with courtesy if you act dull, just like them." He replied to Furlan.

Furlan bit back a growl of annoyance at this. "Give it a rest! You haven't forgotten why we're here, have you?"

"I remember." Levi replied bluntly.

"In that case, until we get our hands on those documents... We've got to do everything we can to avoid arousing the soldiers suspicions!" Furlan repeated the basics of the plan to him.

Levi let out an annoyed sigh. "What a pain in the ass.." He muttered.

Isabel, who I only just noticed was up on the top bunk, flipped her head down towards our group. "Stop bothering Levi, Furlan!! We can just beat the stuffin' outta 'em like we do underground!"

"Isabel..." I started to speak up.

"Quiet." Furlan interrupted me, his gaze on Isabel. "Idiots should be seen, not heard."

I scowled at this. "Furlan, don't-"

"HEY! Who are you callin' an idiot!?" Isabel yelled, clearly offended.

Levi and I exchanged annoyed glances at this, knowing this was clearly getting out of hand.

"Fine, what's eighteen plus twenty-two?" Furlan asked Isabel in a blunt tone.

"Uh, um... Take eight plus two, carry the..." Isabel trailed off, trying to do the math.

"It's forty, idiot." Levi spoke up, playfully hitting her on the head.

"Levi! Not you too!" Isabel whimpered, as if she was about to cry.

I bit back an amused smile, seeing that he didn't mean to make it sound like he was siding with Furlan. If anything he was trying to stand up for Isabel, in his own strange way. She clearly, didn't catch that though.

Levi sighed, messing up her hair. "You're such a pain in the ass, idiot..." He grumbled, trying to prevent her from crying.

I couldn't help but smile at the brotherly affection he was showing her. I rarely got to see this side of him, even though we basically lived together in a group for the past year or so... 

Isabel was muttering to herself as she pouted.

Levi's gaze caught mine again, seeing how big my smile was. He instantly pushed Isabel's chin upwards and away from him as he looked back at Furlan. 

"Right, but Furlan..." He started.

Furlan huffed, interrupting him."I understand how you feel but that's-..."

Levi huffed back. "Furlan." He interrupted again. "I'll go along with you plan... But I will kill him." He said in a dark tone.

Furlan was quiet for a moment until he spoke up. "... Fine." He replied quietly.

"However, before that..." I watched as Levi grabbed a broom that was resting beside one of the bunk beds. "Clean around the beds, don't leave a single speck of dust behind." He ordered, looking at all of us.

"What, now?" Isabel sighed.

"Hold up, Isabel and I are in the barracks on the opposite side of this building, so we have our own space to clean." I pointed out.

Levi huffed, a slight smirk on his features. "Well, you wouldn't want me to cause trouble, would you?"

"Aww, Levi, that's not fair!"' Isabel whined, making Levi click his tongue.

"It's alright, you two. I can handle it." Furlan replied, looking back as us.

"Thanks, Furlan!" Isabel cheered, jumping down from the top bunk and dragging me out of the room with her.

"See you two later!" I called after them before we left. 

Once Isabel and I left, and got Flagon to show us to our bunk, I made sure to convince Isabel to clean with me too. These bunks were pretty dusty...

"Hey, Isabel..?" I asked, watching as she unpacked her stuff into one of the dressers.

"Yeah?" Isabel asked, looking over at me as I finished up sweeping the floor.

"How did things go with Furlan the other night? You know, with the dress and stuff. You haven't given me any details." I asked, raising an eyebrow curiously at her.

"O-Oh.. That! It went well." She replied, shrugging a bit.

"Did you guys kiss or something? Normally, you'd be happy to tell me about it." I pointed out, giving her a playful smirk.

Isabel's face went red at that. "He didn't tell you, did he?!" She yelped, completely embarrassed.

I laughed. "No, of course not! But I'm glad that you two hit it off." Figuring that's exactly what happened.

Isabel relaxed a bit. "Y-Yeah, we did... But, after that night it's like... Sorta awkward around him when we're alone now. I don't know if he feels the same way." Isabel explained quietly.

I hummed at that. "Maybe it's because a lot is going on right now. Just give him sometime to think things through, I wouldn't worry too much on it. I say maybe a week at the most." I replied.

"Okay, thanks! You seem to know a lot about this kind of thing, yet you said you and Shawn weren't dating..." Isabel pointed out, making me frown slightly.

"Well, remember the books I used to read back at our old place? They were all romance novels. You learn a lot from reading those sort of things... I guess, I'm always hoping one day someone will sweep me off my feet as well. " I admitted. "But you're right, Shawn and I weren't dating and that never crossed my mind until you guys asked about it before..." 

"Do you miss him?" She asked.

I looked down sadly. "... I do. But I know Shawn would stop at nothing until he can find me again. I just keep telling myself, that one day, we'll meet again and hopefully soon." I sighed, looking up at her. "That being said, you don't have to worry about me running off to look for him. I know that would cause a lot of issues with everyone else, my loyalty is here with you guys." I reassured her.

"Are you sure you don't have feelings for him?" Isabel teased, making me scoff and give her a playful glare. 

She laughed at this. "I'm kidding! I unpacked your clothes and stuff just a heads up." She quickly pointed out, unintentionally changing the topic.

The two of us chatted for the rest of the time, and once we were finished, we made our way back to check on Levi and Furlan.

Isabel led me into the men's barracks. "We're baaack!" She sang, giggling as she ran over to the two who were just sitting around and relaxing. Levi who was laying down on the bottom bunk, let out a sigh of annoyance due to Isabel's loud entrance.

"Isabel, there's no need to yell." Furlan replied from the top bunk, watching as she climbed up and sat next to him.

"Are you guys napping?" I asked, taking a seat on the edge of Levi's bed.

"I was attempting to." Levi grumbled, as Isabel giggled above us. Making me wonder what the two were doing up there. She's probably cuddling with him. Actually, there's no doubt they're cuddling.

"Can you two please keep your hands to yourselves up there. It's not exactly something everyone wants to listen too." Levi pointed out. I had to hold back a laugh, only to fail, letting out an amused chuckle.

Levi huffed at this, glaring over at me. "It's your fault if something bad happens with them being so.... _Close_." He pointed out, figuring that the two weren't listening at this point. Which probably was the case.

"My fault?" I scowled slightly. 

"Don't act like you didn't encourage Isabel." Levi pointed out, his voice quieter now, clearly trying to keep the other from hearing.

"I was only giving her advice. Since when is there a rule against that?" I shot back at him.

"You're missing the point, idiot. With everything going on, I'm worried it'll screw up our plans." He replied bluntly.

"So you don't want them to be happy?" I replied in a blunt tone back.

"Don't pull that shit on me, you know damn well that's not the case." Levi whispered back, glancing up as the bed shifted above us and as Isabel and Furlan both giggled with each other.

"You're worried one of them is going to get hurt?" I asked, my voice more serious now.

Levi nodded at that, staying silent.

"I understand. But it's not up to you to decide." I replied simply. 

Levi's gaze studied mine. Clearly, he was thinking if it was worth arguing or not. Finally, he clicked his tongue in defeat. "I hope you haven't given her all the _'advice' _your shitty books give you." He muttered, making me blink in surprise.

"How did you know-..." I trailed off, my face heating up. "You didn't read any of my books did you?!" I hissed quietly at him.

Levi stared at me with a blank look. "I didn't know they were yours at first, to be honest. You friend Shawn told me they were. You shouldn't be reading that shit, it's not good for you." He replied, his lips twitching into a small smirk.

"You shouldn't be reading my books! Besides, I'm an adult, I can do what I want!" I replied, my voice raising unintentionally.

"You left your book out in the open, not my fault I stumbled across it." Levi huffed back.

"Uh, is everything okay down there?" Furlan spoke up, clearly catching onto the argument.

I smirked at this, seeing an opportunity for some revenge, Levi instantly narrowed his eyes as a warning not to do so.

"Levi's scolding me for reading porn... That he happened to _'stumble across'_ and find." I sneered, giving him a evil smirk. He didn't look happy at all.

"Wait, what?" Furlan asked, clearly shocked at what I had just said.

"You heard me, he fucking snooped through my books." I replied with a scowl.

"She left one lying around. I didn't know it'd was that kind of novel. Now shut you trap, brat." He snapped at me.

"Isabel, what's with that look? You seem strangely amused." I heard Furlan ask her quietly.

She snickered. "I think they'd make a good couple, that's all." She whispered back.

I instantly stood up at that, feeling completely embarrassed. "I'm going to bed." I declared, walking out of the room without a second thought. Why am I so flustered?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the small wait and the short chapter! Hope you enjoyed it though!

**Author's Note:**

> I actually published the first two chapters in 2014, and after all these years later I'm coming back to the story to continue writing it out. Hope you all enjoy!


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